Volleyball Preview: Blue Devils put perfect record on the line

 WIAC Weekly Release  | Hamline Live Stats | Hamline Live Video | Bethel University Tournament Website

THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: The Blue Devils (7-0, 0-0 WIAC) are off to their best start since the 2004 season started off at 7-0. Stout will travel to Hamline University (5-1, 0-0 MIAC) Wednesday, Sept. 11 for a 7 p.m. contest, then will be at the Bethel University Tournament, Sept. 13-14. The Blue Devils will play St. Olaf University (7-1, 0-0 MIAC) and host Bethel University (3-2, 0-0 MIAC) on Friday and Luther College (3-4, 0-0 IIAC) and Minnesota-Morris (2-4, 0-0 UMAC) on Saturday. 

ON-LINE: All home Blue Devil matches are available in a live video stream.

PARKING: Parking on the UW-Stout campus is restricted during the business week. For games in Johnson Fieldhouse during the week, please plan to park in Lot 29. Do not park in Lot 4, which is a reserved lot for students that live in the residence halls.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: UW-Stout improved their record to 7-0 with a pair of 3-0 wins at the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic Saturday. The Blue Devils opened the second day of the tournament with a 25-16, 25-18, 29-27, win over Oswego State and a convincing, one-hour 25-10, 25-15, 25-13, win over Lawrence University. The Blue Devils last started the season off with seven straight wins was in 2004. The Blue Devlls' longest season opening winning streak was nine in 2002. Freshman Lydia Kneubuehl had a solid day at the net pounding down 20 kills against Oswego, then added 11 kills against Lawrence. Kneubuehl and senior Steph Cannon were named to the all-tournament team. Tori Lammer crushed a collegiate-best 10 kills against Oswego.  | Game Story and Stats

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2019: UW-Stout has given up only one set so far this season, that coming in a 3-1 win over Wisconsin Lutheran College in the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic, Sept. 6. Lexie Nelson is leading the way by averaging 3.14 kills per set, followed by Lydia Kneubuehl with 3.09 kills. Kneubuehl is leading the team in blocks with 0.86. . After recording their best overall record in four years and hosting their first conference tournament game since 2004, UW-Stout's second year head coach Mandy Trautmann is excited to get the 2019 season underway. The Blue Devils return six seniors and almost their entire rotation, which included several key underclassmen. The Blue Devils are led by the return of all-region libero, Steph Cannon (Sr, Mora, Minn), who, after only three seasons, owns the school career digs record with 1564 digs. She also set the school single season digs record last season with 675, ranking 17th in the NCAA Division III. Cannon stands along side a senior group made up of setter Jessica DuVal (Sr, Logan, Iowa), middle hitter McKylie Hoff (Sr, Barron), right-side hitter Kara Simonson (Sr, Otsego, Minn), outside hitter/defense specialist Summer Garr (Sr, Rush City, Minn) and defensive specialist Emily Makina (Sr, Orland Park, Ill). | 2019 Season Preview

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2018: The Blue Devils finished the conference season in a three-way tie for third place with UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point and earned the No. 4 seed in the WIAC Tournament, hosting a home tournament game for the first time since the 2004 season. | 2018 Statistics

MILESTONE MARKERS: Every time Steph Cannon collects a dig this season, she will break her own career school record.. Last season, Cannon shot down the school career digs record, collecting 1564 digs over three seasons, topping Alicia Mizer's four-year total of 1510. Accomplishing the feat in three season, as a freshman, Cannon collected 341 digs. Injury kept her out of action the following year, but when she returned, Cannon was moved to the libero spot where she had 548 digs. She finished the 2018 season with a school record 675 digs, breaking the school record of 657 by Peyton Schultz in 2015. Twelve times last season, Cannon has had more than 25 digs in a single match. Senior setter Jessica DuVal has 2770 career assists. The three year starter had 867 assists her freshman year, 923 as a sophomore and 980 as a junior.

UPDATED MILESTONE MARKERS: Steph Cannon now has 1665 career digs. Jessica DuVal now has 2859 career assists.


HAMLINE UNIVERSITY: The Pipers are quickly becoming a handful to handle. Hamline used a balanced attack to record a pair of sweeps Friday, defeating Knox and Bethany Lutheran by 3-0 scores in a tournament played at Macalester. As a result, HU now has a five match winning streak and stands 5-1 overall.  Sydney Larson (11) led the way against Knox, delivering a dozen kills. Larson had just one error in the match, finishing with a .611 kill percentage. Morgen Coleman had nine kills and a .600 percentage. The Pipers were sharp from the start, winning the first set, 25-14. They survived a late Knox rally for a 25-19 second set win and finished things off with a solid 15-12 third set triumph. Megan Rubbelke was in a giving mood with 36 assists. The junior also added a pair of service aces and 10 digs. HU took a deep breath and picked up where they left off, taking out BLC by 25-26, 25-17, 25-18 tallies. Madison Hurrle had nine kills with Rachel Rettman, Larson and Coleman kicking in seven each. HU committed just one error in the first set, finishing with a .636 kill percentage. Rubbelke added 32 assists and moved past seven per set all-time, a feat accomplished only by five other Pipers. The Pipers are coached by Maggie Meixl, a former Blue Devil player. |  After UW-Stout won the first two sets, the third set turned into a nail-biter and the Blue Devils trailed Hamline University midway through the third set. But a rally with seven straight points put the Blue Devils back into the lead and Stout went on to 3-0 win in the home opener Sept. 25, 2018, at Johnson Fieldhouse. | Last Time They Met | Statistics


ST. OLAF COLLEGE: The Oles are off to a 7-1 start with their only loss coming to No. 5 Claremont-Mudds-Scripps.  | Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics

BETHEL UNIVERSITY:  The Royals are 3-2 overall and are at Minnesota-Morris Sept. 10.. | Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics

LUTHER COLLEGE: The Norse are  3-4 overall and host Augsburg University Sept. 12..| Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics

MINNESOTA-MORRIS: Layne Herrmann was named the UMAC Setter of the Week, while Alyssa Ukestad was tabbed the UMAC Defensive Player of the Week after Cougars split a triangular at St. Benedict.. | Last Time They Met  | 2019 Statistics


CONFERENCE & NATIONAL POLLS: The Blue Devils were picked to finish fifth in the WIAC this season, according to a preseason poll conducted by WIAC head coaches and sports information directors. UW-Eau Claire was projected to finish first, followed by UW-Whitewater; UW-La Crosse; UW-Stevens Point; UW-Stout; UW-Oshkosh; UW-River Falls; and UW-Platteville. | 2019 WIAC Preseason Poll | AVCA Top 25 Poll

UW-STOUT COACH MANDY TRAUTMANN: Coach Mandy Trautmann (23-13) is in her second season as the head coach of the Blue Devils. in her first season as head coach in 2018, Trautmann led the Blue Devils to home WIAC playoff berth, the first for the Blue Devils since 2004. Trautmann took over the Blue Devils after a season as an assistant coach. Prior to coming to Stout, Trautmann was the team captain for UW-Oshkosh in 2015, a season the Titans captured the WIAC regular season championship. Trautmann was a two-time first team all-WIAC selection in 2014 and 2015, and an honorable mention choice in 2013. She was named to the all-WIAC defensive team in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

QUICK HITS: The Blue Devils have six seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen on the 2019 roster...the team is made up of 11 players from Minnesota, six from Wisconsin and one each from Iowa and Illinois...assistant coach Pam Schroeder begins her 16h season with the Blue Devils, matching hockey assistant coach Greg Slupe as holding the longest active consecutive assistant coaching tenure with a Stout program.

BLUE DEVIL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Week Two: Offensive athlete of the week: Lydia Knuebuehl, Fr, Cottage Grove, Wis. (Monona Grove); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn. Week One: . Offensive athlete of the week: Lexie Nelson, So, St. Michael, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville); Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Sr, Mora, Minn. 


AWARDS: 2019: Steph Cannon was selected as the Kwik Trip WIAC Athlete of the Week, Sept. 10...Lydia Kneubuehl and Steph Cannon were named to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic all-tournament team...Lexie Nelson was named the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Sept. 2...Lexie Nelson was selected to the UW-Whitewater all-tournament team after collecting 27 kills and 29 assists as Stout won a pair of 3-0 wins to open the season, Aug. 31...2018: Steph Cannon earned all-region honors and first time all-conference honors...Kennedy Strain was a first team all-WIAC selection...Amber Ripley and Lexie Nelson were all-WIAC honorable mention selections...Amber Ripley was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Oct. 29...Steph Cannon was selected as the WIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, Oct. 23, after averaging 6.0 digs per set over 16 sets played. Cannon also broke the school career digs record during the week..Jessica DuVal was selected to the all-tournament team at Concordia-Wisconsin...Steph Cannon was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week Oct. 15 after averaging 7.73 digs per set over 15 sets played...Lexie Nelson was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week after putting down 27 kills in a 3-2 win over Augsburg University, Oct. 6, and 18 in a 3-1 home loss to Saint Mary's University, Oct. 3....Steph Cannon was selected WIAC defensive athlete of the week after averaging more than seven digs per set over three matches and 11 sets...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Bethel University all-tournament team...Jessica DuVal was selected to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut all-tournament team...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Oregon Trail all-tournament team.

DOWN THE ROAD: The Blue Devils open the WIAC season when they host UW-Platteville, Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Stout will be at the UW-Stevens Point Tournament, Sept. 13-14 and will play North Park University, Friday, and MSOE and Millikin University Saturday.